With the pandemic keeping our favorite shows and films at bay, we wondered why not spend some time talking about them instead. It may not reduce the pain of this indefinite wait, but will at least give us some food for thought in the meantime. Here goes nothing.
Stranger Things is coming back for a fourth season on Netflix but when is still unclear. Today, we will be assembling everything we know about the upcoming season, including the release date, production and filming, new cast members and plot extrapolations.
The flagship show on Netflix that has become a pop culture icon in it’s own right, will complete its four year anniversary this July. Duffer Brothers and all the cast and crew involved have done an incredible job taking the show from strength to strength since its release in July 2016.
This July, we would have been expecting its fourth season, if not for the COVID epidemic. Instead, what we get is a teaser. Better than nothing at least.
1. Renewed already
Within months of the third season releasing July 2019, Netflix had confirmed a fourth season on September 30, 2019.
Strange Fact 1: What’s more, the Duffer Brothers, the series creators and showrunners, have signed a multi-year film and series overall deal with Netflix!
This deal is over and above the one Netflix already has with Shawn Levy who is a producer on the show.
The announcements of season four had some interesting giveaways and we can’t stop obsessing over them. One of the first things was the video’s caption “We’re not in Hawkins anymore”. Is there a new city, state or country, for the next season?
Also, an extended version of the announcement on YouTube has a strange looking clock playing a central role. Are we going back in time in addition to going out of Hawkins?
2. Production Updates
As of May 24, 2020, the production status of Stranger Things season four remains on hold.
The filming for Stranger Things season four had begun on January 7, 2020 and would have gone on until August 5, 2020.
However, the production was put on hold in a little over two months by March 2020, covering about two episodes.
In the best-case scenario, filming might be completed in late June or July but there’s been nothing official yet.
3. Where is filming taking place?
For the first time in the show’s history, the production crew will step out of Atlanta.
As we learned from the teaser trailer, the team had begun filming extensively in Vilnius, Lithuania, wrapping that location by February 2020.
You can see some leaked footage from Stranger Things series four in this video below.
Meanwhile, the bulk of the filming will once again take place in Atlanta, Georgia.
Strange Fact 2: The series is being filmed under the working title of “TARECO”. A Tareco is a Brazilian biscuit that originates from the Northeast region.
Stranger Things is also heading to New Mexico for shooting some parts of the fourth season. Maybe the Byers and Eleven have moved all the way to New Mexico or Hopper’s past is tangled with the Mexicans, we don’t know yet.
4. Is season 4 series finale?
While we always want more strangeness in our lives, it seems show’s creators remain undecided on a season after the fourth. Speaking in the matter right after season 3, Shawn Levy said:
“I mean I will say we have a good sense of stuff that happens in season four. Season four is definitely happening. There’s very much the possibility of a season beyond that one, that’s currently undecided. And … the Duffers really use the writing process to revisit, reassess and question all of their prior assumptions. So even though we always start off with a good sense of the major arcs of the season, we’re always ready for shifts and surprises.”
Even the Duffer Brothers are uncertain as appears in an interview with Enews:
Ross:
“We don’t actually know. I think, you know, four to five seasons is likely where we’ll end up, but who knows? I mean, none of this official, and we know where we want to go. We’re trying to figure out still how long it’ll take to get there, so we’ll see.”
Matt:
“It’s hard, like four seems short, five seems long. So I don’t know what to do.”
5. Episode count?
The fourth season will also be receiving eight episodes like the first and third ones.
On November 7 (the Stranger Things Day), the Stranger Writers Twitter account announced the name of the first episode and who’s writing it.
Episode 401 – “Chapter One: The Hellfire Club” – Written by The Duffer Brothers
6. Some new faces
In the second season, we learned that Eleven wasn’t the only experiment to escape the Department of Energy. Eight was also able to escape and she made it her mission to take down the people related to the experiments.
Like Eleven, Eight also exhibited powers of her own. Instead of telekinetic abilities like Eleven’s, Eight could cast illusions, become invisible through her illusions and also clairvoyance.
Director and executive producer Shawn Levy heavily hinted we could see more in the future:
“I think we’ve clearly implied there are other numbers, and I can’t imagine that the world will only ever know Eleven and Eight”
Our favorite cop, Hopper aka David Harbour meanwhile teased what’s in store for him in season 4 saying:
“I know specifically that in Season 4 we will give you a big, huge reveal about Hopper’s backstory”
There’s also been a good few other leaks about season 4. Three more teens are supposedly joining the main cast.
Strange Fact 3: The Game of Thrones actor Tom Wlaschiha will also be appearing in Stranger Things 4. His exact role and to what extent he’ll be featured has yet to be learned.
In late February 2020, Netflix confirmed that Erica’s character will be a series regular starting season 4. Priah Ferguson plays the role of Erica Sinclair.
New roles are aplenty in the fourth season, but just waiting for confirmation on which actors will be cast for these roles.
As of April 2020, the word is that Nikola Đuričko will be in season four.
In June 2020, most of the main cast was listed to be returning including the five main kids.
7. Plot Extrapolations
Now for the part you’ve opened this article for. Season three left us with plenty to ponder for next season – The mysterious American, Russian Demagorgon and the indestructible Mindflayer taking a death note. We can expect some of the following to be revealed.
8. Who is “The American?”
This is definitely a part of Stranger Things season four given the teaser lays it out quite explicitly.
In what was a possibly the most deadly scenario for Hopper, the smart yet tough cop could have used the opening between worlds by the machine to jump from Hawkins to Kamchatka. Alternatively, he may have ended up in the Upside Down and then caught by the Russians.
Hopper could pull a Hermione and have the Russians’ pet demogorgon play a part in his escape.
9. Will the Byers and Eleven have a homecoming?
The Byers and Eleven have moved away with promises of holiday get-togethers for Thanksgiving, and Christmas.
It’s our hope the next season will be begin at Christmas, which would give writers an easy reason to write characters to be in Hawkins at the same time.
10. How will the Mindflayer return?
Whosoever thought the Mindflayer was destroyed is wrong. The creature seen throughout the third season was a conduit used by the Mindflayer and not the Mindflayer itself. The real Mindflayer is safe and sound in the Upside Down even though trapped.
He’ll definitely be looking for vengeance against the town of Hawkins after being thwarted twice. As to how he returns will be the most interesting part.
11. Did the Russians tame a Demogorgon?
The big reveal at the end of the fourth season was a Demogorgon being captured by the Russians. How they came to capture a Demogorgon is unclear but not unfathomable. Perhaps they were able to find one of the spawns similar to Dustin’s pet D’Artagan in season 2.
Meanwhile, Dustin’s unique bond with D’Artagan gives us reason to believe that in raising the giant beast, maybe the Russians were able to tame the Demogorgon as well. Also, the Demogorgon can go in and out of the Upside Down, which leads us to wonder why it willingly would stay in a cage.
So many questions!! But have we missed out any important ones? Comment below to let us know.
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